The issue of water quality and pollution has regrettably come into clear focus of late as a major issue in the west of Ireland. It is now a matter of considerable public importance that the purity of the once pristine waters of the Great Western Lakes may be lost due to pollution, apathy and the greed of a few. The superb angling, social and recreational resource that these lakes have afforded for generations now stand threatened as never before. It is a matter of concern far beyond the shores of these lakes, not merely in the western counties but throughout Ireland and up to the EU Commission level.
Alarming and extensive algal blooms, which starve vulnerable fish populations of oxygen at critical times of the year, mainly in summer, are now frequently observed on the Western Lakes and their tributary rivers. In recent years algal blooms have spread throughout Lough Carra, Lough Mask and Lough Corrib in a progressive and highly destructive manner..